Silicon Carbide, a key factor in the rise of electric vehicles
Jun 2021
The game changer everyone wants a piece of !
More efficient than silicon ...
... and offering better heat resistance, silicon carbide is a key factor in the rise of electric vehicles.
The secret behind the greater efficiency and power of new generations of electric vehicles lies under the hood. Or more precisely, they have what the first generation vehicles were lacking: silicon carbide (SiC).
One of the advantages of SiC semiconductors is that they help increase switching frequency while capping energy loss at 2% (as opposed to an average of between 5% and 6% for silicon). On top of that, their smaller size and resistance to high temperatures (up to 250°C) make for richer design possibilities.
Electric vehicles’ automotive batteries have built-in power converters that transform direct current into variable electric current. In the past, these converters used silicon semiconductors. But over the years, SiC has emerged as a vastly more efficient solution, albeit more expensive for the time being.
Produce quality SiC
Mersen is present at a very early stage of the process.
The Group is playing an active role in the ramp-up, since one of the keys to SiC production is controlling the reaction at 2,400°C, which is where the graphites and thermal insulators developed by the Group really come into play.